Pull switch with housing portions of different diameters and switch contact mode at the interface of said portions

ABSTRACT

A switching device comprising an electrically insulating movable element included in an insulating housing together with a spring member, an insulating stationary element inserted in an opening of the housing so that it normally contacts the movable element, a pair of contact terminals provided on the stationary element to be brought into contact with a contact on the movable element, and an outer cable incorporated with an inner cable, running through the movable element and the stationary element, for acting on the movable element from the stationary-element side. The insulating stationary element is located in a large diameter portion of the housing but abuts a shoulder forming the interface between the large diameter portion and a smaller diameter portion.

United States Patent Watanabe 3,703,620 Nov. 21, 1972 3,591,748 7/1961 Holden..................... 3,435,165 3/1969 Lombard..........,....200/l6l X 3,336,450 8/1967 Rainer.........'...........200/6l.89

[54] PULL SWITCH WITH HOUSING PORTIONS OF DIFFERENT DIAMETERS AND SWITCH CONTACT MODE AT THE INTERFACE OF SAID e PORTIONS Primary Examiner-Robert K. Schaefer Assistant Examiner-Robert A. Vanderhye [72] Inventor: Attorney-Lerner, David & Littenberg Kazue Watanabe, Tokyo, Japan 73] Assignee: Stanley Electric Co., Ltd., Tokyo,

Japan 7 ABSTRACT I A switching device comprising an electrically insulating'movable element included in an insulating housing together with a spring member, an insulating stationa- [22] Filed: May 17, 1971 [21] App]. No.: 143,968

ry element inserted in an opening of the housing so l l t, Foreign Application Priority Data that it normal y contacts the movable e emen a pair May 21, 1970 of contact terminals provided on the stationary element to be brought into contact with a contact on the Japan ......................45/43012 movable element, and an outer cable incorporated with an inner cable, running through the movable elej ment and the stationary element, for acting on the movable element from the stationary-element side. The insulating stationary element is located in a large 0h 01 20 L m wm m1 "h" 1" w w Hm m hu nuc r. a he us .I C d l m UimF 1]] 2 00 555 [II l 9 diameter portion of the housing but abuts a shoulder forming the interface between the large diameter por- [56] References Cited I UNITED STATES PATENTS tion and a smaller diameter portion.

1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figures 3,273,552 9/1966 Plath.....................

7/47/ 2 I Ill/6916.511?

This invention relates generally to switching devices, and more particularly to a type of the switching device which can be transferred from ON state to OFF state under a directional shift of a movable element provided inside of a housing.

An object of the present invention is to provide a switching device wherein a switch included in a housing can be transferred from ON state to OFF state in synchronism with the operation of a specific device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a switching device wherein a switch member can be transferred from ON state to OFF state under a shift of a movable element forced in accordance with the movement of a member which is used for the operation of a specific device.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a switching device which .can be attached to a cable connecting a carbureter to-an acceleration pedal or lever of a snow-mobile, as a lamp-switch for the stop lamp, whereby the switch can be transferred from ON state to OFF state upon the operation of the acceleration pedal or lever. C

These and other objects of the present invention can ,be achieved by.a novelconstruction of a switching device which comprises a hollow insulating housing, an insulating movable element inserted in the housing together with a spring member, an insulating stationary I element fitted in an opening of the housing in a manner normally contacting with the movable element, a pair of contact terminals provided on the stationary element for contacting with a contact provided on the movable element, and an outer cable incorporated with an inner cable running through the movable element and the stationary element in the housing and acting on the movable element from its stationary element side.

The above described switching device may further be defined in such a manner that the cable acting on the movable element is connected between the carbureterv and the acceleration pedal or lever of a snow-mobile, a cord connected to one of a pair of terminals provided on the stationary member is further connected to a power source, and the other cord connected to the other terminal is connected in the circuit of a stop lamp vention will be better understood from the following 7 description with respect to a preferred embodiment thereof when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

In which:.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a switching device according to the present invention in the ON state, and

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the switching device in OFF state.

In the drawing, there is indicated a housing 1 made of an insulating material including a movable element 2 and a stationary element 3 also made of an insulating material. I

More specifically, the housing 1 is formed into an elongated hollow body of a desired length, and at a position nearer to one end of the housing 1, there is provided a transverse wall 5 having a central hole 4 so that the interior of the housing 1 is divided into a caved-in portion 6 and a chamber accommodating the movable element 2.

The movable element 2 is generally formed into a cyllindrical configuration having an inner bore 8 opening toward the transverse wall 5 and accommodating therein a'coiled spring 7, and a reduced diameter portion 10 having a through hole 9 communicating to the inner bore 8. On a stepped portion intermediate between the reduced diameter portion l0 and the full diameter portion of the movable element 2, there is provided an annular contact 11.

The stationary element 3 is formed into a comparatively short tubular configuration having a considerable wall thickness, and along the longitudinal outside sur-' face, there are provided a pair of contact terminals 12 and 13 with the contact-formingends rectangularly folded along the end surface of the stationary element 3, and the contact terminals are suitably fixed to the outside surface of the stationary element 3 at positions firstly inserted, in this order, into the above described chamber of the housing 1 from its opening toward the transverse wall 5. In this case, the reduced diameter portion 10 of the movable element 2 is-directed to the opening of the chamber. Then the stationary element 3 is inserted into the opening of the housing chamber with an end of the element 3 having to folded ends of the contact terminals 12 and 13 being directed to the movable element 2. A though it is not clearly specified, a suitable measure, for instance providing a counter bore, is taken to prevent the stationary element 3 from further advancement in the chamber, whereby a distance a is maintained between the opposite end of the movable element 2 and the transverse wall 5 when the movable element 2 is shifted to contact with the stationary element 3, and the stationary element 3 is fixed to this position. Thus in the normal condition, the annular contact 11 of the movable element 2 contacts the folded ends of the contact terminals 12 and 13 on the a composite construction is passed through the switching device, and end portions 18 and 18' formed by the cable caps of the outer" cable sections 17 and 17' of the same composite control cable are placed in the caved-in portions 6 of the housing 1 and inside of the tubular stationary element 3 to be adjusted in such a manner that the movable element 2 is shifted against the force of the coiled spring 7 to the direction of the transverse wall 5 when the outer cable sections 17 and 17' are moved leftwardly as indicated by an arrow mark and the electrical contact between the annular contact 11 and a pair of contact terminals 12 and 13 are thereby interrupted. In the drawing, 19' and 19 designates sealing caps covering both ends of the housing 1 for preventing intrusion of humidity or any other harmful element.

When it is desired to utilize the switching deviceof the above construction as a-lamp-switch for a stop lamp in a snow-mobile, the inner cable 16 and the outer cable sections 17 and 17' are connected between the acceleration pedal or lever and the cabureter of the snow-mobile. Furthermore, the cord 14 connected to the contact terminal 12 is connected to an electric power source, and another cord 15 connected to the contact terminal 13 is connected to the terminal of a stop lamp of the snow-mobile. In that case, when the snow-mobile stops, the movable element 2 contacts the stationary element 3 under the action of the coiled spring 7, whereby the contact 11 contacts the pair of contacts 12 and 13, and the lamp circuit will be closed to ignite the stop lamp. 7

However, if the acceleration pedal of the snow-mobile is stepped down, the two cables are pulled in the arrowed direction, and when the absorption of the carbureter increases causing the rotating speed of the engine to rise up starting the snow-mobile to move, the movable element 2 is shifted by the outer cable section 17' toward the transverse wall 5, against the resistive force of the spring 7, whereby the contact between the contact 11 and the pair of contacts 12 and 13 is interrupted. As a result, the lamp circuit is opened and the stop lamp is thereby extinguished.

From the above description, it will be apparent that the contacts of a lamp circuit provided in a housing 1 can be instantaneously connected or disconnected in synchronism with the operation of an acceleration pedal, whereby the stop lamp of the snow-mobile or the like can be ignited or extinguished each time the snowmobile stops or starts to move.

What is claimed is:

1. A switching device comprising:

an insulating housing having a cylindrical chamber therein, said chamber having a first portion of predetermined diameter and predetermined length and a second portion of a second predetermined diameter greater than said first predetermined diameter so as to define a step shoulder at the juncture of said first and second portion of said chamber;

a cylindrical insulating stationary element positioned in said second portion of said chamber against said stepped shoulder, one end of said stationary element which is adjacent to said first portion of said chamber carrying a pair of spaced apart contact element; v

a cylindrical insulating movable element having a length less than said predetermined length of said first portion of said chamber, said movable element slidably positioned within said first portion of said chamber between a first position in which a contact carried thereby is in engagement with said pair of spaced apart contacts and a second position in which said contact is out of engagement with said pair of spaced apart contacts;

biasing means positioned within said housing for urging said movable element toward its first position;

ca i e means passing through said housing, said movable element and said stationary element for selectively moving said movable element toward its said second position against the bias of said biasing means. 

1. A switching device comprising: an insulating housing having a cylindrical chamber therein, said chamber having a first portion of predetermined diameter and predetermined length and a second portion of a second predetermined diameter greater than said first predetermined diameter so as to define a step shoulder at the juncture of said first and second portion of said chamber; a cylindrical insulating stationary element positioned in said second portion of said chamber against said stepped shoulder, one end of said stationary element which is adjacent to said first portion of said chamber carrying a pair of spaced apart contact element; a cylindrical insulating movable element having a length less than said predetermined length of said first portion of said chamber, said movable element slidably positioned within said first portion of said chamber between a first position in which a contact carried thereby is in engagement with said pair of spaced apart contacts and a second position in which said contact is out of engagement with said pair of spaced apart contacts; biasing means positioned within said housing for urging said movable element toward its first position; and cable means passing through said housing, said movable element and said stationary element for selectively moving said movable element toward its said second position against the bias of said biasing means. 